For quite some time, manufacturers of hockey equipment have been offering alternatives to the traditional wooden stick by offering hockey sticks in which the blade and the handle are separate components that may be secured to one another by the player. These sticks commonly comprise a blade, made from traditional materials such as wood, reinforced with carbon fibres or glass fibres, and a shaft commonly made from aluminium. These sticks have the advantages of exhibiting the required amount of stiffness while keeping the "wood-like" feel to which the players are accustomed. Since the failure of a stick usually occurs at the blade, such hockey sticks are also relatively cheaper to own in the long run since, upon breakage, the player only has to replace the wooden blade that can be purchased at a lower price than a complete wooden stick.
Another advantage to having removable blades is that the player is capable of adapting his stick to the surface of play. This has been particularly advantageous in recent years with the advent of in-line roller skates and roller hockey. Since roller hockey is played on a surface which is harsher than ice, a player practising such sport requires a blade whose abrasion and wear properties differ from traditional ice hockey blades. Removable blades thus allow a player to keep his or her favourite handle and simply replace the blade to accommodate the different surfaces of play.
In order to secure a hockey blade to a hockey stick, many manufacturers are providing replacement blades comprising hot-melt adhesives or other thermo bonding materials. To replace the blade, the player, or the person responsible for the player's equipment, must first heat the portion of the handle that is adapted to receive the blade so as to soften or melt the adhesive thereby permitting the removal of the old blade which can then be discarded. The new blade is then inserted in place in the handle and the joint heated again. The blade/handle combination is then left to cool down to permit the adhesive to set. The type of appliance commonly used to provide the required amount of heat range from the common household hair dryer to the more powerful and faster hot air guns and torches, the latter ones being preferred because of their capacity to quickly generate the necessary amount of heat.
Apart from the inherent danger associated with fire, these types of joints possess many disadvantages including the necessity to carry additional equipment such as a hair dryer or a torch. Another important inconvenient is that these types of joints are not adapted to be used with sticks made from materials other than metal. Indeed, hockey stick handles made from composite materials have limited heat tolerance and may structurally deteriorate in the area of the joint when subjected to heat.
In view of this, other manufacturers have suggested using various types of mechanical connectors such as locking pins or screws. However, these types of joints also have various disadvantages, including the necessity of carrying the required tools. Another important disadvantage is that apertures must usually be performed across the handle to receive these screws or pins. Such apertures may weaken the structural integrity of the handle and increase the manufacturing costs of the stick.